Thompson Crystal Clear

The Struggle for Reliable Communications Technology in World War II
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-470-05128-3
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 272 Seiten, E-Book

Quartz crystal-a technology that changed the tide of World WarII
Some of the defining leaps in technology in the twentiethcentury occurred during the Second World War, from radar to nuclearenergy. Often left out of historical discussions are quartzcrystals, which proved to be just as pivotal to the Alliedvictory-and to post-war development-as other technologies. Quartzcrystals provided the U.S. military, for the first time, withreliable communication on the front lines, and then went on tobecome the core of some of the most basic devices of the post-warera, from watches, clocks, and color televisions, to cell phonesand computers.
In Crystal Clear, Richard Thompson relates the story ofthe quartz crystal in World War II, from its early days as acuriosity for amateur radio enthusiasts, to its use by the UnitedStates Armed Forces. It follows the intrepid group of scientistsand engineers from the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of theU.S. Army as they raced to create an effective quartz crystal unit.They had to find a reliable supply of radio-quality quartz; devisemethods to reach, mine, and transport the quartz; find a way tomanufacture quartz crystal oscillators rapidly; and then solve thepuzzling "aging problem" that plagued the early units. Ultimately,the development of quartz oscillators became the second largestscientific undertaking in World War II after the ManhattanProject.
Bringing to light a little-known aspect of World War II,Crystal Clear offers a glimpse inside one of the mostsignificant efforts in the annals of engineering.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Thompson, Richard J.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: "We Were Heavily Armed and We Had Crystals" 1
1 From Wire to Wireless: The Development--andAcceptance--of Tactical Radio 5
2 Crystal Control--the Great Gamble 17
3 The Signal Corps Lays the Foundation 31
4 Nothing Else to Do but Grind Crystals 55
5 Riding the "Flat Wheel Limited"--Overseeing a MassProduction Industry 69
6 Supplying a Mass Production Industry--the CivilianGovernment Steps In 93
7 "The Whole Radio Crystal Program of the Armed Services DependsUpon the Success of the Procurement Program in Brazil. Nothing MustBe Allowed to Interfere With It" 117
8 "God Made Lots of Small Crystals" 129
9 The Aging Crisis--Stopgap Measures 145
10 The Aging Crisis--Physics to the Rescue! 153
11 "Without Crystals You Have Radio; With Them, Communications"163
Appendix 1: Crystal-Controlled Equipment 175
Appendix 2: Crystal Manufacturers 179
References 183
Index 219

Über Autor(innen)

RICHARD J. THOMPSON, Jr., is the Dean of Mathematics and Science at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. He received a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from The Pennsylvania State University in 1994 and has served as a physics professor and department chairman at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas.